They Don’t Make ’Em Like That Anymore. Farewell, Wilf Woods…

Wilfred Woods was an inspiration, a role model and a community servant. He was a reader, a writer and the patriarch of not only a single…

Wilfred Woods was an inspiration, a role model and a community servant. He was a reader, a writer and the patriarch of not only a single family but in a sense a whole region. He passed away this weekend. He was 97.

I had the privilege of interviewing Wilf in his office at The Wenatchee World a few years ago with Voortex Productions before his health took a turn. As a journalism nerd and lover of books, following Wilf around, looking at old photos and hearing stories from nearly a century as a newspaperman was kind of a dream come true for me. Wilf was a monument. To me he represented a time when newspapers were the definitive source of information. A time when they were vibrant, reputable and a largely a force for good. He represented the media legitimacy of a bygone era I now find myself longing for in the days of “fake news” and “alternative facts”. He was an oak who represented some of the very best human traits: intelligence, selflessness, curiosity, community service, creativity, humor and respect.

Now I work just steps away from that office (now Rufus Woods’, Wilf’s son and publisher). I think about Wilf every time I enter that corner cubby lined with books. I think about the knowledge lining the shelves, accumulated over the course of a lifetime. It’s a place of peace, a temple to the written word and the closest thing to sacred ground this unbeliever can conceptualize.

I didn’t know Wilf well personally, but what he represented and valued had a significant impact on me as well as many folks in North Central Washington. If we could all live such productive, long lives full of service and unquenchable curiosity the world would be a much, much better place indeed.

Thank you Wilf for being a shining light. For representing such important values. Rest in peace. You won’t be forgotten. You’ve inspired more people than you’ll ever know.

If you’d like to know more about this amazing man, you can read his obituary here as well as this touching tribute by Rufus to his father. This collection of comments from the community is also great and gives you a good idea of how many lives Wilf touched.